BRUCE Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, reacting to the release of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey for April 2019, said on Friday: “With increased job growth, British Columbia continues to have the best-performing economy in the country. For 21 months in a row, British Columbia has held the lowest rate of unemployment in Canada. In April, it was 4.6%.”

Ralston pointed out: “We saw part-time employment replaced by significant increases in full-time jobs. Overall, B.C. created 5,900 jobs with gains coming in construction and business administration. That brings us to 82,000 jobs created in B.C. over the past year, with massive gains in the private sector.

“People are working in good jobs – and making good wages. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ (CCPA) Living Wage report, the amount of income needed to meet basic family needs in Metro Vancouver dropped for the first time in 11 years. The CCPA adds that without our investments in affordable child care for families, the living wage would have risen.

“Families throughout B.C. are seeing the benefits of a budget that prioritizes people and fiscal management at the same time. In this same week, British Columbia’s Aaa credit rating was reaffirmed by Moody’s, an international credit rating agency.”